Class
Traditionally, domestic tragedies have been seen as a theatrical tradition distinct from classical tragedy in their movement of tragic focus away from the aristocracy and towards the lower middle and working/peasant classes. The Witch of Edmonton is focused almost entirely on a peasant and middle class community - corruption spreads from the very top of the pile of this community (represented by Frank) to the very bottom (represented by Elizabeth Sawyer).
Magic
The Witch of Edmonton has been noted for its supposedly sympathetic portrayal of witchcraft, but the way magic functions is more complicated than a binary of good and bad. The village is revealed to be already corrupted before Dog arrives, and whenever dog does curse people (by brushing up against them), his agency and magic in these situations is ambiguous.
Madness
The insanity of Anne Carter follows a trend in Jacobean theatre of an obsession with portrayals of madness (think Ophelia from Hamlet or Lady Macbeth). But Anne Carter's initial madness is particularly interesting in that it happens seemingly without cause (albeit it is apparently intensified after dog rubs against her, but nevertheless she is mad already). This provokes the question: is this madness an embodiment of the corruption of the village that exists before the arrival of satanic forces?
Community
The Witch of Edmonton requires a large assortment of characters to represent a lower middle class and peasant community - a community in which corruption is rife before Elizabeth Sawyer even takes on the mantle of 'witch'. It is a community in which the way one presents themselves is identical to who they are - we begin with an Elizabeth Sawyer who herself suggests it is no different to be labeled a witch as to be a witch oneself. Community politics and corruption are thus are driving force of the play, as the dog weaves through different individuals of Edmonton.
Sound Effects
The Witch of Edmonton uses a number of sound effects, something which is always notable in Jacobean theatre considering the energy and practical cost of such devices. The 'thunder and lightning' is perhaps the most key one of the narrative; the stage 'effects' of the theatre mix with the theme of magic perhaps a suggestion that the theatre itself is a magical space as the distinction between audience and play-world is eroded.
